RFC 409 (rfc409) - Page 2 of 8
Tenex interface to UCSB's Simple-Minded File System
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972
III. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
SMFs is invoked like any other subsystem --- by typing its name
followed by a carriage return (CR). SMFS responds with the herald
'UCSB Archival System (ver n date)' followed by its prompt character
'#'. Whenever SMFS types its prompt character, it expects the user
to respond with a command ('?' will generate a list of all valid
commands).
The user selects a command by typing its first letter (here and
throughout the exchange, upper- and lower-case alphabetics are
interchangeable). SMFS acknowledges a command it recognizes by
typing the remaining characters of the keyword, and rejects those it
doesn't by typing '?'.
If the command requires arguments, SMFS prompts the user for each one
in turn by describing it in parentheses. If the argument is a
keyword, SMFS will list the set of alternatives (separated by
slashes). The user selects one by typing its first letter. Again,
SMFS acknowledges a valid selection by completing it; if the user's
response is in error, SMFS prompts for the parameter a second time.
If the argument is not a keyword (e.g., a filename), the user enters
an appropriate character string terminated by a CR. Commands with no
predicate are simply confirmed by the user with a CR.
Entering the last argument initiates execution of the command. In
most cases, successfully executed commands illicit no explicit
response (SMFS simply prompts for the next command). Unsuccessful
commands illicit a diagnostic.
IV. COMMAND EDITING
Anytime a character string is called for, the following editing
features are available to the user:
control-A deletes the previous character
control-X deletes the entire string
Control-R retypes the string
Anytime a filename (see Section V) is called for, the following
additional editing features are available:
control-W deletes the current field
control-F recognizes the current field
ESC recognizes all remaining fields
Control-O aborts a command during specification or execution (some
commands cannot be aborted once the final CR has been typed).
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